My mother has been in town since early this month. We don’t often get this kind of extended time in the same place, and I’d forgotten what a good cooking collaborator she is. She makes sure our wine glasses are never empty. She cleans up as she goes. She doesn’t mind deveining shrimp! I could go on and on. I bow down.

At my reading in Madison last week, someone asked me to talk about a few of my favorite cookbooks. The ones I mentioned were The Zuni Cafe Cookbook, All About Braising, various Nigel Slater titles, and Every Grain of Rice, and because I am long-winded, my answer wrapped up, blah dee blah blah, about twenty-five minutes later, on the topic of everyday cooking, which I usually do without consulting a book. In truth, I pointed out, I only cook two or three “real” dishes a week – and by “real,” which is a very arbitrary word, I mean things that involve more than 10 minutes in the kitchen. I only very, very rarely make more than one “real” dish at a time – say, this favorite Sichuanese beef-and-celery recipeplus a side ofbraised bok choy. Usually, even on a good day, it’s just the beef and celery, with some rice from the electric rice cooker. I can’t remember the last time I made a meal that involved three different, recipe-based dishes on a plate. Most of the time, my home cooking is very simple and quick: scrambled eggs and a salad dressed in the vinaigrette I always keep in the fridge, a bowl of soup with some cheese and bread or crackers, or rice topped with whatever’s in the crisper drawer and a fried egg and hot sauce.

Later, when I was sitting at a table, signing books, someone expressed surprise that I “cook” so little – that, for someone who professes to love cooking, that I don’t actually do a lot of it. I sort of bumbled through an answer, and a week later, in the wake of much online discussion about domesticity, feminism, and the joys and headaches of home cooking, I’m still thinking about how to explain my thinking. But I think what it comes down to is this: maybe we’re setting our standards too high for what it means to cook at home, to do home cooking? I mean, I love to cook, but I also believe it is totally okay – even good, even great, even elegant – to serve scrambled eggs for dinner. I have no qualms about feeding myself, my child, and my husband (and even company) a pot of vegetable soup that I made earlier this week, with some cheddar and purchased bread. I love to cook, but like everybody, my life is full. I’m tired at night. I hate deveining shrimp. I love to cook, but I love to cook two or three times a week, and not much more than that. The rest of the time, we eat leftovers, or we eat something that I (or we) can make in a few minutes. It’s still home cooking, and we’re still eating good food, and there’s real pleasure in that. That’s what I care about.

This soup is one that I’ve made probably a half-dozen times, adapted from a recipe that I found last year in Bon Appetit. You’ve got to peel and chop the bag of carrots, but after that, the soup coasts to the finish line by itself, and a single batch will cover a week’s worth of lunches or a couple of dinners for a small family. The photos I took of it were sort of lackluster, but you can picture it. The soup is anything but. It’s pumpkin-orange and velvety, laced with a creeping heat that leaves your mouth tingling. I like it with sharp cheddar and a pile of Triscuits.

Melt the butter in a large (5-quart) pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and onion, season with a couple good pinches of salt, and cook, stirring often, until the carrots are softened, 15-20 minutes. Stir in the broth, 1 ½ cans of the coconut milk, and 1 tablespoon of the sriracha. Bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very soft and the liquid is slightly reduced, about 45 minutes. Puree in small batches (remember: hot liquids expand!) in a blender. (Or, my preference: puree right in the pot, with an immersion blender.) Check for seasoning, and add more salt and/or sriracha, if you like. (I usually add 1 more tablespoon sriracha.) If you’d like more richness, stir in the rest of the coconut milk, and then reheat as needed.

Serve with a generous squeeze of lime in each bowl, and top with cilantro, if you have it.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

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Comments

Honestly, Molly, the real life in your writing is what keeps me coming back ten years after I began reading your blog. Without all the things that must keep you super busy, your writing wouldn't be as wonderful and relatable to all of us out here as it is. You don't write like a food industry insider who spends all day cooking, and that's fine because most people don't have the luxury (or interest?) to cook elaborate dishes daily while still maintaining a full life. And yet, your cooking has grown and evolved anyway!

Just deleted about ten carrot soup recipes from my Pinterest boards noting that I would make the 25 versions of cauliflower soup, the 37 versions of kale/spinach/swiss chard soups – but the carrot soups. Probably not. What do you know? I'll be making carrot soup. This one.

I just made a big batch of chicken stock last night, and just bought one of those 5 lb bags of carrots. It's fate: I'm going to start making this this very minute…and then probably serve it every meal until next Thursday.

Home cooking means you made something yourself instead of ordering pizza or picking up takeout or eating a packaged frozen dinner. I agree with you: I get a great deal of pleasure from eating chili and cornbread I made over a week ago and (for once) remembered to freeze it for a weeknight in the future. I cook almost every night, and it is tiring, and fulfilling, all at the same time. Still beats most anything else, though, right? 🙂

Amen and amen. In a life with kid(s) I'd rather live with them than only cooking for them. And knowing how to make a fast, nutritious meal without resorting to prepackaged hooha is a necessary–even redemptive–art and skill. Thanks for the reflection(and the soup).

Yep, big sigh of relief to hear an honest yet entirely satisfactory public response to that issue. You're a real parent, Of the 21rst century, who cares about quality food. This is what that looks like in a contemporary family for a LOT of people! it's called balance. Job well-done, I say.

Molly,You rock. I'm all about the two to three meals that pull us through the week. We eat tacos and pasta with pesto once a week and then get something “fancy” once or twice. But nothing beats lighting two candles and sitting down as a family. Thanks for being such a real voice in my life. Have fun with your mom!

YES! There is beauty in simple meals, although I would argue that meals do not really have to have beauty to be something you enjoy. All the attention we give to cooking is great, but truly we can appreciate that it still “counts” to make a grilled cheese at home instead of a fancier, more labor intensive meal. You're at home. You're cooking. It's great.

I find it interesting that I never got the impression that you cooked all day every day. I've been reading here for quite a few years and it is your writing, the stories that go with the love of food and all that it encompasses, the stuff that tells the story, and nowhere in that have I ever envisioned you slaving over a stove or chopping board or spending copious amounts of time doing crazy time consuming prep work and preparing food all day.I just never sensed that here, and I like that, like it very much I might add. The food and the stories have always been relaxed and real and felt relative. Your love for cooking completely comes through but in a super comfy, “Hey pull up a chair and join us” sort of way. And it's darned refreshing and makes me want to eat and make what you share.[Side note: my fave go-to tomato sauce is the tomato, onion and butter sauce and has been since 2008] I digress, and have been long winded here. I never would have thought you loved cooking any less even if you only did it once a week.

I always think its funny when people hold others to a higher standard than themselves. Better a full life with scrambled eggs and leftovers for dinner than an empty one with gourmet food every night. 🙂 Molly, your writing and perspective on food is wonderful.

Interesting conversation over there. I love reading/hearing how YOU cook, or don't cook and wonder how that person could be familiar with your blog/books and not have figured out what you do/don't do years ago?

As an RD with 3 kids who LOVES to make homemade french onion soup and fancy dishes, we eat an awful lot of easy and takeout. Makes me crazy – even more so with a high school senior, an 8th grader, and a 4th grader who want to be in every activity – but we have great options. The key is sitting down and having that family time and the laughter I love so much and the fact they don't go hungry. I eat scrambled eggs with Swiss chard from the garden for my lunch several times a week and it makes me happy. Already mourning the killing frost we will soon have.

I think the glorious key is knowing HOW to cook what you love, and how to enjoy your life at the same time.

Your dog is adorable!!!! Name please? Life is so busy and I wish I could stop myself from complicating it in the kitchen but that is just in my nature. Loving food and loving to cook does not require cooking all the time, unless that is what one chooses to do. Cook all the time.

This is a discussion I have had with my husband time and time again. He looks around at the large collection of cookbooks I have, mentions large and delicious dinner party menus I have made and mumbles about the dinner I have just prepared. He wonders if I've been busy that day and that's why there's not a 5 course meal on the table. I love to cook, but often don't love the tedium of it.

Love this post, Molly. To me, cooking has never been about putting on a big production. It's about getting tasty food into our mouths relatively quickly and easily and healthily. As for this soup, I'll be making it soon. Thanks 🙂

This post speaks to me so much! I also love cooking, but because of lack of time/energy most of the stuff I make is simple, homey and involves no recipes (and a fair amount of stuff from the store). I agree – it's all about intentionality and heart, not all about recipes and ingredients. Thanks for this!

For the longest time, I allowed the fact that I didn't care to make meals a big production hold me back from actually cooking. When in reality, to me, cooking is cooking is cooking, no matter how long it takes you or how fussy the method may be. There's just as much art in throwing together a crisper-inspired meal as there is a three-course meal. I feel like the pressure or maybe judgment of not being cook-y enough is what holds so many people back from getting in their kitchens and exploring different ways of eating.

Amen! I think we set our standards ENTIRELY too high for most things domestic-related. I'm a big believer in doing your best-some days that's leftover soup, some days that's a complicated meal and some days, yes, it's takeout. For me anyway, having some ridiculously high standard takes all the fun out of it when I do cook.

You always continue to amaze me with your wisdom! It has taken me 35 years (since my son was 2 years old) to arrive! I have a huge cookbook collection, a couple of boxes of recipes cut from magazines, etc., and I love nothing better, now, than a good leftover!!!! It is always a joy to read your posts and see those delicious pictures of June.

I'm like that, too – I'm too tired to cook huge meals all the time, esp since we all work at home so it is 3 (!!!) meals a day. I get it. YES. Now, onto this soup – super yum. LOVE it. and i have everything I need to make it. Usually we make that sort of thing with pumpkin and curry – this will be a lovely change.

For a vegetarian version, would generic vegetable stock be preferable, or would mushroom stock work? (I'm thinking of something like tom kha, which features mushrooms in a coconut broth, which made me think mushroom stock might work here.)

Thank you for saying this. I admit that I tend to associate those nights when we have eggs or scraped-up something-or-other for dinner with a mild failure on my part. Not if we have real leftovers though, that means I planned something which worked … I guess what I'm trying to say is that any dinner which I make and which tastes good, is healthy, etc., should be considered a rousing success. So thank you for that!

Recently had carrot soup at one of my favorite restaurants and it was fabulous tasting and the color was a brilliant golden color. It's not a soup easily forgotten so I've been looking for a carrot soup recipe to try at home — this one looks like the one, so thanks! I love to cook like you but only make a few things each week and freeze some to have at a later date — nothing is better than remembering you have a delicious meat dish in your freezer after a long day….

erg – just read another blog about the blogger getting judged for not meeting some unrealistic ideal.

I cook like you – I LOVE to cook and bake – and I do it several times a week – then there are days at a time when I'm running like a madwoman or bogged down helping with homework or driving to a jillion activities.

Life is like that.

Sad that someone felt a need to comment on your failure to meet her expectations LOL.

Sadder that I can't ever serve scrambled eggs for dinner because I have two twisted children that won't eat them – seriously? One will – but it doesn't denigrate a dinner I'd happily make for myself 🙂 Goodness – successful domesticity at this point is getting everyone fed with something reasonable every day. Period.

Home cooking is exactly that, cooking at home. It doesn't matter if it's eggs, “fancy” food, pasta with butter and cheese, it's still cooking at home and it's still better than eating take-out. I don't have children (yet) so am able to cook relatively elaborately every night. However, come Friday, after working all week and cooking each night, I make my husband scramble eggs. It's still home cooking, and I still feel good about it.

Since having my babies, I've developed an allergy to carrots (Can you believe it? Carrots!! This makes me very sad.) — do you think this soup would do well with butternut squash or sweet potato instead? It sounds delicious.

Simple home cooking requires a lot less waste and has it's own kind of elegance. Every Grain of Rice if one of my favorite cookbooks for that very reason simple Chinese food that is often cooked on one burner. Love the look of this soup.

What you write about IS home cooking. It's fixing something to eat and eating it at home. It's not restaurant cooking at home, which, granted, can be great but is not home cooking.

I LOVE scrambled eggs for dinner – even better, a fried egg on top of spaghetti agilo olio. You've got me thinking about the possibility of scrambled eggs on top of spaghetti cacio e pepe.

All the things you describe are the things that Laurie Colwin, the doyenne of home cooking, would like.

From A Virtuoso of Enoughness by Pilar Viadas, published in the NYTimes on November 10, 2002

''I myself am not particularly interested in restaurant cooking,'' she [Laurie Colwin] says in an essay adapted from a talk that she gave to the Radcliffe Culinary Friends several months before her death. ''I don't really want to learn how to make a napoleon. I'd much rather learn how to make a very good lemon cake, which you can make in your own home. I like plain, old-fashioned home food.''

Sometimes I took my kids to the dentist or to the doctor for vaccines, or a strep culture and knew someone would end up in tears. I didn't much enjoy those experience, nor did they, but I took them nonetheless, because it was generally accepted as necessary for their health. Maybe Virginia Heffernan should look at home cooking that way. Maybe she'll never like it, but aren't many things we do as parents harder than a nice salad and scrabbled eggs?

I couldn't agree more. I cook everyday, but like you it's mostly simple dishes. Scrambled eggs or an omelette is still home cooking – and delicious too. I can't wait to try this soup, another easy lunch or supper.I adore the photo of June.

Ahh, Molly, I so love this post! I feel the exact same way. I absolutely love to cook. I love the whole process, in fact, from going to our farmers' market on Sundays, to the slow movements of slicing through vegetables, to the warm smells of foods baking in our oven. I love it. Really. However, most weeknights, we make some version of tacos or fried rice (both of which adapt well to whatever veggies live at the bottom of our crisper and whatever protein I have the energy to toss in the pan) or some reinvented leftover from a more thought-out Sunday evening meal. Like you, I am a writer, a blogger and a small restaurant owner and while I love food, a lot of nights I come home and kind of just want to plop on the couch and watch bad TV. (Also, I think those of us who work with food cannot bear to think of food/cooking/etc by the time we get home at night, am I right?). I too think what is most important is that we cook in our homes and that we cook using real foods (even if, once prepared, those foods don't seem glamourous or like some perfect image from a Pinterest page).

Really great post. Glad to hear we share similar beliefs on this topic 🙂

I think the food blog culture has created some identity confusion. You are a writer that is inspired by food. You write beautifully about food in your life. Sometimes you write about food in your home, or in your restaurant or in your travels. Sometimes you cook it, sometimes you don't. Sometimes you write about food in your relationships as a lover, a mother and a daughter and friend. I love the recipes but thanks for being a writer. I know what a love/hate thing that gig can be.

Well, I didn't have enough carrots in the house, but there was a squash that'd been lingering on my countertop. And I'm vegan, so I swapped out the butter for vegan margarine & the chicken stock for vegetable broth. And it was delish. Thanks, Molly!

I'm with you! I “cook” many meals a week, and it's worth making easy things that don't make the kids cry while you're taking the time to cook. I find the simplest things go over best, the tacos, the spaghetti and homemade sauce sort of things. Isn't it nice to have more than one hobby? Makes for a well-rounded life.

Yes! I love to cook, own a hundred cookbooks, read food blogs obsessively, am always thinking about food, and cook a “real” meal about three times a week. The rest of the time we eat leftovers and quick ten minute meals that are healthy, fulfilling, and homemade. Thanks for this post, Molly!

I love this discussion about what it means to cook a meal at home. The older I get, the more I feel that if something is making you feel worn out or resentful, it's time to step back and take a break. Cooking at home doesn't have to be a big production. Some greens dressed with a homemade vinaigrette and a fried egg is a perfectly lovely home-cooked supper. Personally, I like having some peanut sauce on hand for quick dinners on nights when I don't want to wrestle with the idea of cooking. But I'm hardly unique in finding my own shortcuts. One of the reasons I continue to love cooking is that I give myself enough breathing room to continue to find it a creative outlet and not just a daily obligation.

it is kind of sad, that due to the internet and magazines people think that every meal needs to be a big production and picture worthy.i believe if you and your family are eating real food, not fast food and processed and packaged food, you are doing the best you can. it is great if you make a meal and it lasts all week with some variation and additions. you are feeding your family and giving yourselves time to sit and enjoy each other and activities other than cooking. just simple food is simply goodas is time spent together.sometimes all you want is nice bread and cheese, you don't have to have made that bread, or the cheese, as long as it's not wonderbread and processed american cheese food.some of the best dinners i have ever had were a bit of this and that leftover in the fridge, thrown together, unusual combination lead to a excellent dinner .ps you rock

I had my first son a couple of months before you had June. Prior to that, I used to cook very regularly, planning multi-recipe meals even during my work week. I can't even imagine that at this point (I also have a one year old now!). I'm pleased that we still make it a priority to go to the farmers market and that my son thinks all bread has “crispy crusts”. I think reality meals are necessary and can be delicious! Nice to know another food lover is surviving on those as well. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

I followed your links and read the other articles as well. I am not sure why we always have to create sides and then start a fight? I try to cook at home but when I cannot, I am perfectly happy with soup and grilled sandwich. Or a takeout.

My food journey..baked pies as a teenager, taught myself to cook after moving out of family home, fell in love with color, texture & taste, delighted in the many choices of San Francisco, cooked for 250 kids at a camp, became a Mom and committed to fun, interesting and healthy home cooked meals…soups and salads a huge part…30 years later a son with great food memories, a love of good food and a healthy appetite.

I just wanted to say how much I love your blog, and I love your recipes because they are great for making tasty, not-too-fussy food on a packed schedule. Thank you! And please keep posting your home cooking recipes 🙂

lately i've been feeling like quite the slacker in my lack of cooking. i still make that huge pot of soup/stew/chili to feed us for lunch, and then come home at night and throw together roasted vegs with some rice/quinoa/pearl barley. i actually felt guilty for not doing more home cooking. thank you for this post. we're still eating well, we're still being nourished and that is the essence of home cooking.

Thanks for keeping it real, as always, Molly. I love that you have full life and that regardless of that, you still cook at home. It doesn't matter if they are simple, it is still cooking and it still counts and it is beyond better than microwaving a frozen dinner. I wouldn't be able to balance half of the things I would want to include in my life if I made a bigger more involved meal, every day.

I'm a food writer and an amazing cook but do you know how many times my family gets spaghetti for dinner (with various sauces and toppings)? Just because it's not “special” doesn't mean you aren't cooking or loving the act. Too many fancy dishes and they become everyday. It's the everyday foods we remember – the ones we turn to for comfort. The ones we pass onto our children. It's the ones that remind us where home is.

I have become the One Dish Wonder or Casserole Queen as some relatives call me. But Hey! When you have a career and 3 boys in sports and have spoiled your kids on homemade baby food…. I have collected quite a few delicious recipes over the years from Ina Garten, Lydia B, and even Julia Child's chicken tetrazzini. These are a life saver for hungry boys coming in from practice. My guys have even been known to eat them for breakfast and at least one or two are always requested when one is home from college. Add a quick salad and you're done. I say casseroles saved my sanity! I also do fish tacos and the 1-2 special dinners each week depending on my mood and family schedule. I make a menu for the week including some leftover days and keep it out on the counter. Just remember, Mollie, we can do it all- just not at the same time! Love your blog!

Likey! I am a new grad student in French (I swear I am not trying to be you, even though you would be hard-pressed to tell) and I now cook a huge meal on Sunday and a huge meal on Monday, and then eat those things for the rest of the week. Last week I made cookies and the week before that I made muffins, but both times I was really nervous that I might not be able to pass my M.A. exam two years from now because of those decisions. Have you read the book Homework Bound? You should. It is not about 3 pets, it's about “the new domesticity” and how it might not always be the answer for all modern women. It was very very interesting.

Molly, I never comment so I have to say that I love reading everything that you write and appreciate you sticking with this blog. Thank you for sharing. ^_^

I am a mom to a young one and I love to cook. She is picky about things mixing but she will eat really healthy food. I am a home cook because I enjoy it, but also because its cheaper and healthier for my family.

I totally get your philosophy and its refreshing. I too get as excited about a bowl of oatmeal as I do a great pot of soup. They are nourishing and that is what it important.

One of my favorite bits of parenting advice is that popcorn, cheese, and apples makes a great dinner :). And, we have the twin sister of that dog! Do you have any idea what kind he/she is? Because we're clueless and just claim she's a muppet.

Molly, I do not think you “cook little”! I feel the person that said that perhaps has expectations or idealizations that don't apply to most people. And I wonder, under that burden, could you even feel motivated to cook? Before I met my husband I was in a long term relationship with a guy where my cooking was expected. I was young and dumb and fortunate enough not to marry him. After that, I professed to hating cooking, but the truth was, I had just come to hate the obligation that somehow got associated with it. A slew of dated men later, I met my husband and after some 6 months of dating he learned I knew how to cook. We spend a lot of time in our kitchen together now and it is a joy I never would have anticipated way back when. And we make “our fried rice” at least once a week. That's still cooking my friend.

Oh my gosh, do you make it through all your comments? I barely had the energy to scroll down to the “leave a comment” button. Anyway, I agree with “anonymous” that carrots do not need peeling if they've been thusly scrubbed, and I've decided the same about ginger. Never looked back. So I guess I'm saying I agree with the 70 other commenters that a lack of fussiness is a good reason to love your recipes. Your decision to go down this road of food writing, though there be thorns (and fussy critics) is admirable and inspiring!

Hi, I am new to your blog and have been enjoying it. You seem like such a nice, genuine person. What you wrote in this post resonated with me.

“I mean, I love to cook, but I also believe it is totally okay – even good, even great, even elegant – to serve scrambled eggs for dinner. […] It’s still home cooking, and we’re still eating good food, and there’s real pleasure in that. That’s what I care about.”

Thank you!

I used to love to cook but after years of trying to cook memorable meals once (or twice) a day for my two kids it has lost its luster. I sort of dread it sometimes.

My goodness, I hate the idea that “cooking” means churning out a huge three course meal. What a way to devalue the way we feed ourselves everyday! Also how unsustainable. How much we demand from women.

Also not trying to be a creep but I am at the moment in Rome, on a study abroad program on the Cultural Politics of Italian Food with Ann Anagnost! I found out you know each other after talking about the possibility of doing food writing for a project..Anyway, I have been reading your blog for years and I was pleased the world is so small.

But seriously. Way to get to the heart of the matter. The importance of home-cooking, and writing about it, is not always so much about the cooking as it is the feelings, the mood, the sincere humanness of the whole moment–whatever that moment may be–and what that all might be captured by. Maybe it's a complicated slow braise. Or maybe it's a store-baguette and simple soup. The food isn't always the point, exactly.

Thanks so much for sharing this recipe and for the reminder that simple cooking is home cooking. I made a half batch the day I read your post because I only had 1 can of coconut milk on hand. Big mistake. Huge. I should've run out for more. I made mine vegetarian using a Rapunzel bouillon cube and will be making many more batches this winter for sure. We ate the soup for dinner with cheddar cheese toast. Perfection.

Hi, Molly. I usually steam brussel sprouts in the microwave (no water), drizzle on some interesting nut oil, a dash of salt…figure out some protein (eggs are also a favorite…also in the microwave…). Needless to say, your non-cooking cooking is a huge step up for me. I admire you in every way.

However…I don't see any photos here of the soup. Am I missing something?

You know what? I love this. I am a parent, have been since my first set of triplets was born (how's that for an introduction to parenthood?). I made breakfast, lunch and dinner for 8 children and 2 adults every fricking day of my life. There was no “affording school lunch” in our world, we spent every dime on catholic school tuition and basic living expenses.

Point: We all cook to feed our families – however that works for us and anyone who has a negative thing to say about it is an @#######$. I'm being polite with the symbols. I have 8 children (two sets of triplets and a set of twins). I have a husband, MIL & FIL who live with us and my own parents who live with us. I'm the freaking primary caregiver for everyone as well as working a 9 to 5 job. Eat your soup and count your blessings.

Stop letting others cloud your mind. You do what's best for you an your family. No one else matters.

Molly, I so love your relaxed sharing of what works for you and your family. It is truly inspiring. You convey such a warm, loving, and honest feeling about what is truly important in life. And, I also want to commend, especially, perhaps, the comment by “Anonymous” directly above–your sense of humor is as delicious as the food you make for your family very likely is! You brought a huge smile to my face–you and Molly seem to be on the same wave length, one I share wholeheartedly.

Been thinking about this all week, M. I think everyone knows how much I hate cooking (haaaaaaate), but I do it because I love my family and I believe in real food. That's it. There is no third reason. Aaron doesn't spend much time in the kitchen at home, so I stick with soups, pastas, the occasional roast chicken–things I can make and freeze, and maybe a pie or dessert a week. I don't do it with the same skill as you or Aaron, but I have to be careful with my time in the kitchen, more as an act of self-preservation than anything else. I make a similar version of this soup at least every other week, and I went with carrot today because of you. It's so easy to change up the main vegetable, or use cream if you don't have coconut milk on hand, or water instead of stock. Have you tried the hand-towel-over-the-blender trick? Works like a charm.

Anyway, I will raise a glass (or three) tonight at 6 o'clock in your honor, when I am sitting down to a simple yet delicious dinner, and not still swearing in the kitchen or asking the toddler to please give me back the knob to the stove for the hundred thousandth time.

Made this with 1 can of coconut milk & vegetable stock from a box. Delicious. I went with the 1 TB sriracha amount. Cannot imagine putting more coconut milk in; would be gross.I also put the onions in with the melting butter to try to get a little carmelization before adding carrots to the fully melted butter.

hello, I think you are absolutely right. People put their standards too high and think, that they should do more cooking. But it's ok not to cook every day. Who has the time to cook for hours every day? In addition to the job and the family should we be allowed to rest in the evening, shouldn´t we? Am I right?regards

Good for you Molly! You are as real as they come and always a joy to read/share with. You have your priorities in line … and I'm proud to say I'm with you! I love to cook too, and when I have the opportunity will create something lovely. AND, during the workweek, we have some prescribed, easy to pull together, healthy and locally sourced meals that give us leftovers for lunch, etc.

Thank you. I needed to hear this so much. I love to cook but am right there with you in terms of serving a lot of simple things to get by day to day. My son has complicated dietary needs that mean I have to cook more than I would if I could take even more short cuts and I was feeling kind of down and overwhelmed about it tonight and your words helped 🙂

helloit's a shame when a hobby became a commitment. Of course, you cook special dishes, if a diet of your child requires it, but this kind of cooking does not make fun anymore. Can you at least pre-cook, or have you cook fresh every day?regards

I made this soup as the starter for our Thanksgiving dinner. Delish! I sprinkled pomegranate seeds on top (instead of the lime) and loved the burst of flavor they brought to each bite. Thank you for this recipe. Definitely one I will make again and share.

I've often been surprised at how many food bloggers confess to days, even weeks of not actually cooking. I cook every day for my family, and, growing up, a freshly cooked, balanced meal was non-negotiable in our culture. Because it has been drilled into me from a young age, I don't consider it a burden. Perhaps I should start my own blog? If only I had the photography and technical skills!